Toy cart equipped with a self-playing xylophone



1968 v NOBORU NOMURA 3,3

TOY CART EQUIPPED WITH A SELF-PLAYING XYLOPHONE Filed July 12, 1965 3 heets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

BY MQM gi/ Jan. 9, 1968 NOBORU NOMURA 3,362,102

TOY CART EQUIPPED WITH A SELF-PLAYING XYLOPHONE Filed July 12, 1965 3 heets-Sheet 2 5& 14

YNVENTOR.

Bum MM a/FM My Jan. 9, 1968 NOBORU NOMURA 3,362,102

TOY CART EQUIPPED WITH A SELF-PLAYING XYLOPHONE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed July 12, 1965 ngg INVENTOR. Ina/M i/ United States Patent O 3,362,102 TOY CART EQUIPPED WITH A SELF-PLAYING XYLOPHONE Noboru Nomura, 22 Yamashita, Kurozuchi-cho, Anan, Japan Filed July 12, 1965, Ser. No. 471,199 4 Claims. (Cl. 46111) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A toy cart equipped with a self-playing Xylophone, said toy cart having an inside space partitioned by an intermediate bottom plate into an enclosed machine space and a space located immediately above said machine space. Said machine space contains a row of musical keys, disposed at predetermined spacings, and a row of musical bars, disposed above said keys at the same spacings so that each of the bars may pound the corresponding key. Each of said musical bars has a pawl at one end. Said machine space further contains a rotary drum which is provided with a plurality of groups of needles on its peripheral surface. Said pawls are engageable with the corresponding needles and the relative position of the rotary drum is adjustable, in the direction of the length of its axis, with respect to the pawls. The drum shaft is mechanically connected to the axle of the cart and a pair of gears having a nicked cylindrical cam are rotatably mounted on either end of said axle so that the drum can rotate as the cart travels.

The present invention relates to a toy cart equipped with a self-playing Xylophone, which comprises an enclosed machine space formed by the intermediate bottom plate of a toy cart, a row of musical keys arranged within said space at suitable spacings, a row of musical bars adapted to hit said keys and disposed at the same spacings as above, a pawl provided at one end of each of said bars, a rotary drum which is located near the ends of said bars and the shaft of which is mechanically connected to the axle of the car so that the drum may rotate as the cart travels, and a required number of projections or needles arranged on the peripheral surface of said drum in such a manner that said pawls may engage with said projections as the drum rotates, said drum being secured in position by adjustable holes and the corresponding pins so that the drum may be freely movable with respect to said pawls. This invention has as One of its objects to provide a toy cart for the infant which automatically plays music as it travels forward or/and in reverse, said cart being capable of playing several tunes or melodies so that the infant may learn music unconsciously while he or she learns to walk. Another object of this invention is to provide a toy cart capable of playing several different tunes with a substantially improved acoustic effect. There has been heretofore available no toy cart having such a self-playing Xylophone and this invention represents a valuable contribution to the education and training of infants who are beginning to learn to walk.

This invention will hereinafter be described in detail, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a toy cart having a self-playing Xylophone embodying the principles of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken on line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial elevation view, on exaggerated scale, of one of the musical bars of the toy cart of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view, on exaggerated scale, of the axle of a toy cart embodying the principles of this invention;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a modified toy cart having a self-playing Xylophone;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on line IIIIII of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view, in part, showing the modified structure of a toy cart shown in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view, in part, taken on line IVIV of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a schematic view, in part, of the mechanical part of said toy cart shown in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a modified structure of the mechanical part shown in FIG. 8.

Referring, now, to FIGS. 1 to 4, the toy cart 1 is partitioned by an intermediate bottom plate 2 into an enclosed machine space 3 and a free space 4- which is immediately above said machine space 3. In said machine space 3 and on a bottom plate 5 are disposed two transverse supporting bars 6 and control bars 7 in parallel relation, and a required number of musical keys 8 having a varying length are arranged on said supporting bars, said keys 8 having a varying length are arranged on said supporting bars, said keys 8 being nailed or otherwise secured to said bars 6. A required number of musical bars 9 which, re spectively, have a pawl 16 extending from one end thereof and a groove or recess 11 formed on the bottom side of the other end, are pivotally mounted on a shaft 12 through horizontal holes in such a manner that they may freely move up and down. The shaft 12 is mounted on bearings 14 at both ends, and end collars 16 are provided on both ends of said shaft 12. Referring to each of the musical bars 9, the root of a ring bar 17 is positioned in the recess ill in such a manner that one end thereof is held in contact with a spring 18 installed fixedly in said recess 11. Thus, the spring 18 is indirectly supported by the ring bar 17 so that a bulb 19 connected to said spring may contact or move away from the corresponding key 9. Behind the musical bars 9 is a rotary drum 20, which is rotatably mounted on a drum shaft 21 and has a first group of needles or projections 22 over a part of its peripheral surface, said projections being so located as to meet the musical bars, respectively. A second group of projections 23 and, if desired, a third group of projections (not shown) may be provided. Thus, as the drum 20 rotates, the group or groups of projections press the corresponding pawls it). The drum shaft 21 is mounted on bearings 24 at both ends and a required number of adjusting holes 25 are provided in suitable positions at both ends of said shaft. On the axle 26 of the toy cart is fitted a pulley 27. A nickel cylindrical cam 28 which is integrally formed or fixedly connected to said pulley is also fitted over the axle 26. A spring is interposed between said pulley 27 and one of the wheels of the toy cart. The axle 26 is also provided with a lobe 31 which is engageable with the nick of said cylindrical cam 28, and a pulley 32 which is rotatably fixed to the drum shaft 21 is connected to said pulley 27 through a belt 33. Thus, as the axle 26 runs in the direction of normal travel, the lobe 31 is engaged with the nick of said cam 28, while the lobe 31 is thrown out of engagement with said nick when the axle rotates in the reverse direction. Referring, now, to FIGS. 5 and 6, within the closed machine space 3, the musical keys 8 extend from the supporting bars 6 secured fixedly to the underside of said intermediate bottom plate 2 to immediately above the rotary drum 2d, and each of the musical keys 8 is passed through the corresponding control bar 7 of the channel type which is fixedly secured to the underside of said intermediate bottom plate 2. A shaft 12 is pivotally mounted on bearings 14- having an L section which is fixedly secured to the intermediate bottom plate 2 and each of the musical bars 9 is mounted on said shaft 12 so that the bulb 19 may hit the corresponding musical key 8. On each of bearings 14 is mounted a slender bar 33 and a return spring 34 is interposed between said slender bar 33 and the corresponding musical bar 9. The belt 35 connecting the rotary drum 2%} with the axle 26 of the cart may be a cloth belt.

Referring, now, to FIGS. 7 to 10, within said closed machine space 3, a spring 3%) is interposed between a gear 36 which is secured fixedly to one end of said axle 26 and a wheel 29, and a nickel cylindrical cam 28 fixed securely to said gear 36 disposed through said spring 39 is loosely fitted over said axle 26 in such a manner that the lobe 31 of said axle 26 is engageable with the nick of said cylindrical cam 23. The same arrangement also apply to a similar gear 37 secured fixedly to the other end of said axle 25. Now, a transmission gear 39 mounted rotatably on a transmission shaft 3s disposed transversely and in parallel with the axle 26 meshes with the gear 36 mounted rotatably on the axle 26. An intermediate gear 41 mounted rotatably on an intermediate shaft 4t extending in parallel with said transmission shaft 38 is engaged with the gear 37 mounted rotatably on said axle .26 and also with said transmission gear 39, while a pulley 42 secured fixedly to the end of the transmission shaft 28 is connected to a pulley 43 secured fixedly to the drum shaft 21 through a cloth belt 35. In case a ratchet gear 44, one end of a crank shaft 42? engaging the ratchet gear 441 at the other end is pivotally mounted on a cam 45 through which the axle 26 is extending in an eccentric position. The crank shaft 46 is provided with a spring, and the gear 44 is connected to the drum shaft 21 through a gear or belt. In the drawings, 47 is a pawl that cooperates with the ratchet gear.

In the arrangement described hereinbcfore and illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 6, as the cart 2) travels forward, the lobe 31 of the axle 26 is brought into engagement with the nick of the cylindrical cam 23 which is loosely fitted over said axle so as to drive the cam and the pulley 27 which is fixedly secured to said cam. Then, through the belt 33, the pulley 27 drives the pulley 32 which is fixedly secured to the drum shaft 21, thereby driving the drum 20. The group or groups of needles planted on said drum 20 successively press the pawls it of the musical bars 9. As this occurs, the other end of each musical bar 9, which is pivotally fixed to the shaft 12, is pushed up. However, when the needle is disengaged from the corresponding pawl, said end of musical bar is allowed to fall, and at this moment, the bulb 19 of said musical bar also falls under the influences of the resulting impact and the spring action exerted by the spring 18, whereby the musical key 8 is pounded. The above sequence is repeated successively so that the cart plays music positively as it travels forward. When the cart travels in reverse, the lobe of the axle 26 does not engage the nick so that the cylindrical cam simply idles, with the result that the rotary drum also remains standing still and, accordingly, no music is played.

It is to be understood, also, that, because the position of the rotary drum may be changed by the utilization of the adjusting holes 25 and the corresponding pins, the position of the desired group of needles on the peripheral surface of the rotary drum may accordingly be altered with respect to the pawls of the musical bars so that the desired tune may be selected as desired. Furthermore, the spring of each musical bar eliminates the possibility of double pounding or failure to pound. In FIGS. and 6, the musical bars 9 extend to just over the rotary drum so as to improve the quality of sounds. In the arrangement shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, as the cart 29 advances, the axle rotates and, consequently, the lobe 31 of said axle is brought into engagement with the nick of the cylindrical cam 28 secured fixedly to the gear 36 which is rotatably mounted on said axle through spring 30, whereby the gear 36 is caused to rotate. This rotation is transmitted to the drum Zii through the transmission shaft 33 on which said transmission gear is mounted, the pulley 42 secured fixedly to the end of said transmission shaft, and the belt 35. As the drum 20 rotates, the group of needles on the peripheral surface of the drum cooperate with the pawls 10 of the musical bars and the bulbous projection 19 of each musical bar hits the corresponding musical key 8 to play the desired tune. In this connection, the gear 37 mounted rotatably on the other end of said axle is rotated by the transmission gear through the intermediate gear 41, but because the nick of cylindrical cam 28 secured fixedly to said gear 37 cannot engage the lobe of the axle so that the gear 37 idles and, accordingly, the tune is played without hindrances. Referring, now, to the case in which the toy cart of this invention travels in reverse, the above-mentioned lobe of the axle is brought into en'- gagement with the nick of the cylindrical cam 28 fixed to the gear 37 which is rotatably mounted on the other end of the axle, whereby the gear 37 is driven. As this occurs the transmission gear 30 is also driven through the intermediate gear 41 which is meshed with the gear 37 so that the desired tune is played by the Xylophone as described hereinbefore. It will be apparent from the above description that the toy cart of this invention plays music irrespective of the direction of its travel, i.e., forward or reverse. In connection with the case in which a ratchet gear 44 is employed (see FIG. 10), the same effect as described above is secured by the eccentric cam 45 which is pivotally mounted on the axle and, in this instance, a tune is played, too, irrespcctively of the direction of travel. Thus, in accordance with the invention, the toy cart automatically plays music as it travels forward and stops playing as it stops travelling. In another embodiment of this invention, the toy cart automatically plays music irrespective of the direction of its travel, e.g. forward or backward.

The enclosed construction of the machine space also assists greatly in the improvement of acoustic efiect.

What I claim is:

l. A toy cart equipped with a self-playing Xylophone, said cart having at least one axle and wheels on said axle, and having an inside space, an intermediate bottom plate in said inside space partitioning said inside space into an enclosed machine space and an upper space located above said machine space, a row of musical keys disposed in said machine space at predetermined spacings, a row of musical bars disposed above said keys at the same spacings so that each of the bars can pound a corresponding key, each of said musical bars having a pawl at one end, and a rotary drum having a plurality of groups of needles on its peripheral surface, said pawls being engaged by the corresponding, needles, the relative position of said rotary drum being adjusatble with respect to the pawls in the direction of the length of its axis, and the drum having a shaft mechanically connected to the axle of the cart so that the drum can rotate as the cart travels.

2. A toy cart as claimed in claim 1 further comprising, in said enclosed machine space, a gear having a nicked cylindrical cam rotatably mounted on each end of said axle, said axle having at least one lobe thereon engaging with the nicks in the corresponding cams, spring means loading said cams toward said lobe, a transmission shaft disposed parallel to the axle of the cart, a transmission gear mounted on said transmission shaft and engaged with one of the gears on said axle, an intermediate shaft parallel with said axle, an intermediate gear rotatably mounted on said intermedaite shaft and engaged with the transmission gear and with the other gear mounted on said axle, a pulley secured to one end of said transmission shaft, and a pulley secured to the shaft of the rotary drum and coupled to the pulley on said transmission shaft.

3. A toy cart as claimed in claim 1, wherein the drum shaft of the rotary drum has adjusting holes therein and corresponding pins inserted in said adjusting holes, said rotary drum being adjustable with respect to the relative positions of the pawls and the corresponding needles by means of the adjusting holes and pins.

4. A toy cart equipped with a self-playing Xylophone, said cart having at least one axle and wheels on said axle and having an inside space and a Xylophone and means for striking the keys of said Xylophone, a gear having a nicked cylindrical cam rotatably mounted on each end of said axle, said axle having at least one lobe thereon engaging With the nicks in the corresponding cams, spring means loading said cams toward said lobe, a transmission shaft disposed parallel to the axle of the cart, a transmission gear mounted on said transmission shaft and engaged With one of the gears on said axle, an intermediate shaft parallel with said axle, an intermediate gear rotatably mounted on said intermediate shaft and engaged With the transmission gear and with the other gear mounted on said axle, a pulley secured to one end of said transmission shaft, and means coupling said pulley to said means for striking the keys for driving said means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 10 LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

F. BARRY SHAY, Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

